I'm looking at a Zegna shirt of mine as I type this and notice a double row of stitching running up the side of the shirt connecting the front panels to the back. When I put it alongside a Borrelli shirt, with its folded over seam (albeit single row of stitching) the two seams look virtually identical from more than about 6" away. In both cases, there is a visible strip about 3/16" in width running up the side. I could be completely wrong about this, but I'm wondering whether single-needle stitching is really all that big a deal. As I understand it, single-needle stitching uses lock stitches which are stronger--stitch for stitch--than the kind of stitches used in double-needle stitching, but in the latter case the double row makes up the difference in strength.

I think there may be some confusion in the discussion of seams. As far as I understand, a French seam, with folded over material and two rows of stitching, is the strongest. However, a French seam may still be single-needle stitched, where each row is done separately. On the other hand, double-needle stitching is done with a sewing machine with two needles, such that both rows are sewn at once. By definition, then, a double-needle seam cannot be done by hand.

The only sticking point I have with French seams is that, as norcal notes, as the shirt shrinks a little from washing, the seam will pucker a little. I think there is a way around this in very well made shirts. Maybe Alex can say more on this?

Speaking of Mr. K, I cannot concur heartily enough that gussets are pointless. Of all the places that my shirts tend to wear out, that spot is about the last one that concerns me. Moreover, judging by some of the gusset materials I've seen, they'll actually wear out quicker than the garment itself!

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_foxx

remember the old Brioni ad, which posed the question "how long did it take you to obtain your BA? funny, that's the same amount of time it takes one of our tailors to attend school in order to make your suits."

I like a bit of space for a knot. The knot needs somewhere to go. I also disagree about the well dressed man being sharp. I think that the best dressed men ted to look as relaxed and casual as possible in their clothes.

yeah, i guess the "sharp" thing is more of a Chicago-ism from my upbringing. However, I still maintain that even the most spread collar shirt can still have no tie space at the PEAK of the inverted triangle.....yet still have plenty of room for the tie knot in the space left by the wide angle of the collar points?? I made the switch from a half-windsor to four in hand knot several years ago, and haven't looked back since-- but then again, the most spread collar shirt i own is a "medium spread," so i guess my comments can only really pertain to the "point collar," "medium spread," etc.

I know it's materialistic and snobbish, but i really like getting the small booklet with my Borrelli shirts, which is signed by the person that made it, or examining the handmade buttonholes of a suit jacket-- I'd like to think that in some small way, i'm helping to keep old world traditions alive in a society obsessed with "right now, fast food, ipods, cellphone calls and blackberry emails."

Good for you, Foxx. But I hope you don't have any pretensions of an interest in "social justice." Mind you, I'm far more fiscally conservative than any republican you've ever met --- I certainly don't care if you'd rather spend thousands of dollars on clothing than on feeding the hungry. But keep in mind the full ramifications of what it is you're glorifying.

OK, so you see some aesthetic appeal in the process of tailoring, not just in the product of clothing. There are two ways to look at this. One is as a statement of universal fact --- that things which are made by hand with a focus on craftsmanship and "authenticity" are superior to mass produced counterparts. Or, as a matter of taste --- although you happen to get the warm fuzzies from knowing that your clothing is hand made, you don't think any less of people who don't (or can't) indulge in that.

Think about which position you ascribe to. Think about the logical consequences of really believing in whatever position you choose. If you really think that doing things the human way --- with a sense of artistry --- is what really matters, then a condemnation of the whole of modern civilization (even the very internet which you're using right now) is the logical conclusion.

My personal take is that, hey, whatever floats your boat, that's cool. To me, dressing well means coordinating colors and patterns, achieving a good fit, and perhaps deviating a little (but not too much) from social norms so as to project a bit of individuality in your image. It certainly doesn't mean wearing bespoke couture, because I can't tell if you're wearing bespoke couture, and you can't tell if I am either.

I roundly challenge anybody to prove me wrong on that last one, BTW.

So if you get some special thrill out of your Brioni, power to ya. I personally get a special thrill out of my hand-made guitar amps with hand-made czechoslovakian tubes, so believe me, I can relate. But if you think that you are somehow better because of your appreciation of inefficiency --- well, have fun living in the past. Truly, those were... uh... "glorious" days.

nice analogy. I know I get a thrill out of my hand built/hand P2P wired Tophat amplifier, one of the "made by Brian Gerhardt" models.

Hell yeah. I'm a fan of Budda amps and also JJ tubes, although I tend to rely on Peaveys for the simple fact that you can hide under a pile of Peavey amps (and boss pedals) as a sort of makeshift bomb shelter.

...and oh yeah I love my Kiton shirts. I think a nice shirt must have a quality comfy fabric which for us in the South generally means higher thread count the better and great construction. I have good quality machine made shirts like Lorenzini but the Kiton and Borrelli shirts perform better and look nicer. I did my shirts almost exclusively MTM so they fit well.

I have not yet saved up enough cash (or won the lottery) to afford Alex' shirts. I do sleep comfortably knowing that his store will be a local stop once I buy my Hamptons estate. That reminds me to call Billy Joel.